Living in America this past month has been like watching a car crash in slow motion. For a while, it appeared President-elect Donald Trump had his hands on the wheel, but recent events have made it abundantly clear that Elon Musk is in control of this government clown car.
Earlier this week, the billionaire loudly tantrumed against a bipartisan spending bill, tweeting his fury 70 times. His vocal fit showed real power, as Republicans like Lauren Boebert bent over backward to accommodate his request, potentially sending the government into a shutdown for the holidays. Their quick step to fall in line has citizens and Democrats alike scratching their heads as we try to figure out how a man without a government appointment is suddenly calling the shots.
Democratic spitfire Jasmine Crockett is swinging with both fists in light of Elon’s sudden presidential powers and the Republican-floated idea to make the man Speaker of the House. Like any well-informed American, the 43-year-old is furious and looking for answers. She took to X for answers, but the Texas representative should have known better than to look toward Musk’s toxic platform for meaningful discussion.
Bootlickers across the site were quick to defend Musk and his DOGE co-chair, Vivek Ramaswamy, claiming the billionaire buddies represented “the American people that voted for President Trump.” Others claimed he represents the common taxpayer, despite the fact that mega-wealthy men like Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Michael Bloomberg have paid $0 in taxes multiple years in a row by exploiting loopholes the average American can hardly comprehend.
But no defense was nearly as useless as top Republican talent Lauren Boebert. The Coloradan jumped on the “We the People” bandwagon.
It’s particularly ironic that a woman who had to switch districts to win her race is suddenly concerned with the will of the people. Even more so since Musk wasn’t actually selected by the people. The billionaire donated record amounts of money to Donald Trump’s campaign, has already pledged money to Britain’s right-wing Reform U.K. party, and is currently eyeing the German far-right AfD coalition as his next “pet project.” He’s literally buying his way into governments, the same thing that the right has been accusing George Soros of doing for years, and they are cheering him on.
There is no “We the People” that includes Musk. He’s the richest man in the world and has cemented himself as a part of the billionaire class, which represents less than 1% of the entire world. It’s bizarre that average Americans can see themselves in Musk in any way. It reminds me of an often misquoted phrase from John Steinbeck on why socialism never found a foothold in America. “The trouble was that we didn’t have any self-admitted proletarians. Everyone was a temporarily embarrassed capitalist.”
Americans all believe that someday they will find themselves in Musk’s shoes. That someday they will be a benevolent leader who can “save the masses.” To be clear, Musk will never represent the masses. Heck, he doesn’t even represent Boebert. He’s shaping up to be a literal Grinch, cutting money for children’s cancer research to funnel into military spending — something his SpaceX contracts will certainly benefit from.
Musk is going to treat America like every company he has ever owned. He will gut whatever he feels is inefficient, regardless of the human cost, and give himself a hefty bonus while people suffer in his wake.